Phantom of the Opera Reviews

POTO Fan from Los Angeles, California

AVERAGE PRODUCTION AND PERFORMANCES.

Watched this at the Pantages Hollywood, June 2019. Having seen POTO numerous times in LA and San Francisco, I would call this production "average." The sound levels were way off, with the lows totally overpowering Christine's voice. Also, several changes were made to the staging by director Laurence Connor. Some were great, including the use of a massive revolving wall for several set pieces. However, other artistic choices were less successful. Connor stated in an interview that he wanted to focus more on the Phantom as a real man rather than as a mysterious, magical figure. But grounding everything in reality strips the story of its beloved mystical quality. As such, Derrick Davis as the Phantom leans heavier on the "father figure" side, making the whole love-triangle less compelling. And over-reliance on that revolving wall comes at the expense of utilizing height elsewhere to tell the story (e.g. the opera house roof, the graveyard, etc.). Also, there's a fist fight.

Laurel from Costa Mesa, California

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

We saw the show in Costa Mesa on opening night, July 10th. The orchestra was way too loud. The Phantom's voice was outstanding. Christine's voice could not out sing the orchestra. Her voice is just not powerful enough, so the moments when she should just soar the songs, did not happen. I actually liked her lower voice better. The longer she sang the more strident the upper voice became. Still enjoyable. The good news is there are four people singing the role, so if you attend after July 14th, you may have a totally different experience.

Trac K from Honolulu, Hawaii

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

I saw it several years ago. Liked it better the first time, but overall good show.

TT from Denver, Colorado

DISAPPOINTING

Saw this 'new improved' version on it's second day, a matinee. What a disappointing production. For some reason, the entire stage wasn't used, it seemed to be 'shrunk' by about 1/3. You could see both the characters as well as those moving the sets come and go from the stage on each side. Abbreviating the stage means that the staircase in the Mascarade scene is not included. The chandelier does not move.... the costumes were not special, the sets were underwhelming. I've seen the Phantom 5-6 times at venues in both Denver and LA. This honestly seemed more like a high school production than a Broadway show. At $100 for a matinee proformance, I do not recommend this particular production.

Anne Harmati from Toronto, Ontario

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

I was disappointed, I went with a friend , she saw the show twice and I spoke to her and someone else so I was so excited to see it . Unfortunately, both her and I were very disappointed, myself because of the hype from people who saw the original casting , and she was much more disappointed because she did see the original and felt she was in a low budget rendition of the original . Why is it bringing in the same or more money and giving is a cheaper show? I would not recommend this show for to a person who saw the older version , maybe just to a novice watcher of opera , all it is is a cheap imitation that does not give the talent of the show enough to work with , the settings were not as extravagant and I have to give it a thumbs down . Seating was good and there are abundant choices of restaurants near by .

Franklin Macdonald from Charlottetown PEI

I'VE SEEN BETTER

I have experienced the phantom in NYC, London and in Toronto many times and I must say that this new production is the worst. Derrick Davis is a terrible Phantom. He overacts some of the scenes, shows little emotion that makes us believe he is in love with Christine and his singing sounds forced. Emma Grimsley has a beautiful voice but again she just has no passion in her delivery. Jordan Craig portays Raoul as someone we would hate instead of love. To tell you the truth the best performer was Kathryn McCreary playing Carlotta. She has a magnificent voice and portays the character the was it was meant to be portrayed. I was impressed by the props. Some of the best I have ever seen in a POTO performance. The stairs coming out of the wall down to his lair was genius and the masquerade ballroom was superb. I did miss seeing the phantom come down the grand staircase as his entrance in that scene was lackluster. Overall it was a good show but just not a great one.

Jamie Zuk from New York, New York

HEARTBREAKING LETDOWN

I am a HUGE Phantom fan. I have seen it performed five times previously in NYC and was more enamored every time I saw it. Until now. I saw the Phantom Saturday, May 14,2022 for my birthday and I was crushed with how disappointing it was that night. There was absolutely NO chemistry between the Phantom and Christine. The both sang well enough but there was no passion or pull during any of their scenes together. They barely even touched. And letting Christine collapse to the floor when the bride mannequin moves?! Never. The Phantom has always caught her and carried her, lovingly, to the bed. Without the connection, there is no love triangle, it's an obvious line that leads directly to Raoul - and the exit. I will always love the Phantom, but it will take a lot of convincing before I watch it in NYC again.

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